What is the Western Undergraduate Exchange? What Schools Participate?

The Western Undergraduate Exchange allows students to attend out-of-state schools at a reduced tuition rate. On average, students save $9,000 a year in tuition to an out-of-state school, which means you don’t have to limit your options to schools in your home state.

Read on to find out what it takes to be eligible and which schools participate in this program!

Western Undergraduate Exchange: A Quick Overview

The Western Undergraduate Exchange is a tuition reduction program administered by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). It is not a need-based tuition program, which means that many students can take advantage of a more affordable out-of-state education.

WUE (pronounced woo-wee!) allows out-of-state students to receive a significant tuition discount; they often pay no more than 150% of the in-state tuition rate, compared to a regular out-of-state tuition rate than can be 300% of the the in-state rate. For example, California residents pay around $5,742 for tuition at California State University. WUE students pay $8,613 for tuition, while other out-of-state students pay $17,622 for tuition.

Each participating school is allowed to administer the WUE tuition reduction according to their own rules. You’ll need to check the admissions or financial aid site of the school you’re interested in to make sure you know what your school requires. For example:

Many schools offer the WUE rate to transfer students, but some don’t.

They tend to give you the award for your projected degree completion (whether it’s 2-years or 4-years) but they may have additional requirements, such as maintaining a certain GPA or needing to reapply.

As a general rule, you’ll need to request WUE before you start your first semester.

How Do You Apply for the Western Undergraduate Exchange?

To be eligible, you must live in one of the WICHE member states and attend a participating school in another WICHE state (not your home state). Here’s a complete list of the WICHE member states:

Alaska

Arizona

California

Colorado

Guam

Hawai’i

Idaho

Montana

Nevada

New Mexico

North Dakota

Northern Mariana Islands

Oregon

South Dakota

Utah

Washington

Wyoming

You’ll apply for WUE through the school you plan to attend. As we mentioned earlier, each school is allowed to administer WUE according to their own rules. Some schools require that you complete a separate form, while others simply have you check a box on their general university application form. You’ll also need to make sure that the school doesn’t have additional exclusions; some schools exclude high-demand majors from participating in WUE.

As an example, the University of Hawai’i Manoa has no separate application, but they will notify you if you qualified for WUE in your acceptance letter. If you feel that you are eligible but were given the regular out-of-state tuition, you’re free to contact them about your WUE status, but it may have been due to one of the following exclusions:

Those who already have received a bachelor’s degree

Unclassified status

Students participating in A Semester In Hawaiʻi (ASH) exchange program

Here’s another example: Eastern Oregon University requires that you submit your application by their February 1 Priority Deadline to be considered for WUE. In order for the award to be automatically renewed each year, you need to enrolled full-time and remain in good standing.

The bottom line? Be sure to do your research when it comes to making sure that you’ve met any additional requirements that your school has.

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List of Participating Schools

This list will help you quickly figure out if one of your top choices is a WUE school!

Adams State University

Arizona State University | ASU

Black Hills State University | BHSU

Boise State University | BSU

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona | Cal Poly Pomona

California State University Channel Islands | CSU Channel Islands

California State University San Marcos | CSUSM

California State University, Bakersfield | CSU Bakersfield

California State University, Chico | CSU Chico

California State University, Dominguez Hills | CSUDH

California State University, East Bay | CSU East Bay

California State University, Northridge | CSUN

California State University, Sacramento | Sacramento State

California State University, San Bernardino | CSUSB

California State University, Stanislaus | Stanislaus State

Central Washington University | CWU

College of Southern Nevada | CSN

Colorado Mesa University

Colorado State University | CSU

Colorado State University–Pueblo | CSU Pueblo

Dakota State University | DSU

Dickinson State University | DSU

Dixie State University | DSU

Eastern New Mexico University | ENMU

Eastern Oregon University | EOU

Eastern Washington University | EWU

Evergreen State College

Great Basin College

Humboldt State University | HSU

Lewis–Clark State College

Metropolitan State University

Minot State University | MSU

Montana State University | MSU

Montana State University Billings | MSU Billings

Montana State University–Northern | MSU–Northern

Montana Tech of the University of Montana | Montana Tech

Nevada State College | NSC

New Mexico Highlands University | NMHU

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | New Mexico Tech

New Mexico State University | NMSU

Northern Arizona University | NAU

Northern New Mexico College

Northern State University | NSU

Oregon Institute of Technology | Oregon Tech

Portland State University | PSU

Snow College

Sonoma State University | SSU

South Dakota State University

Southern Oregon University | SOU

Southern Utah University | SUU

University of Alaska Anchorage | UAA

University of Alaska Fairbanks | UAF

University of Alaska Southeast

University of Arizona

University of California, Merced | UC Merced

University of Colorado Colorado Springs | UCCS

University of Colorado Denver | CU Denver

University of Hawaii at Hilo | UH Hilo

University of Hawaii at Manoa | UH Manoa

University of Hawaii Maui College

University of Hawaii–West Oahu | UHWO

University of Idaho

University of Montana

University of Montana Western | UMW

University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV

University of Nevada, Reno

University of New Mexico | UNM

University of Northern Colorado | UNC

University of South Dakota | USD

University of Utah

University of Wyoming

Utah State University

Utah Valley University | UVU

Washington State University | WSU

Weber State University

Western Nevada College

Western New Mexico University

Western Oregon University | WOU

Western State Colorado University

Western Washington University | WWU

Bismarck State College | BSC

Mayville State University | MSU

North Dakota State University | NDSU

University of North Dakota | UND

Valley City State University | VCSU

Tips for Applying

Be sure to review the WUE-specific admissions criteria for each school you’re interested in. Pay attention to any deadlines, additional forms, or majors that might be excluded to make sure that you aren’t caught off-guard during your application process senior year.

Work with a counselor. If you live in a WICHE state, chances are that your high school counselors know about WUE and can not only help you complete the WUE requirements, but they can also help you with the rest of your application. Many schools often ask for a school profile, a letter of recommendation, or a personal statement, and your school counselor is a great place to start to find resources and get the information you need.

You might also consider working with a company like CollegeVine. Our students are paired with a successful mentor from a top school who helps students along every step of the application process, and even identify scholarship opportunities. On average, our students receive $25,000 more in scholarships that students who don’t work with us. Find out if our College Applicationsprogram is the right fit for your academic goals!

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Gianna Cifredo is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she majored in Philosophy. She has six years of higher education and test prep experience, and now works as a freelance writer specializing in education. She currently lives in Orlando, Florida and is a proud cat mom.